You Can Be A Leader, No Matter What

02 May You Can Be A Leader, No Matter What

When I was in first grade, I used to always want to be the line leader in class. I would get fussy and sometimes even get into mischief when I wasn’t the line leader. But my teacher Mrs. Flayton would say to me, as she often said to the whole class, “David, you can be a leader, no matter what.” She would tell us all, that even if we weren’t the line leader, we could all set a good example for others, guide others to do the right thing, and become young leaders. Mrs. Flayton drilled those words into us all: You can be a leader, no matter what. Thirty years later, after leading two companies and more important, a family, and after writing about leadership in books, for Inc Magazine and here on LinkedIn, those words resonate with me as much as ever.I sat down with LinkedIn’s Executive Editor Dan Roth last week, to talk about likeable leadership. We talked about the values of listening and gratefulness. I shared what I’ve learned from great leaders such as Michael Dell, Cary Chessick, and Sheldon Yellen (pictured below). The full video is above.

I feel blessed to have written the most popular leadership article ever on LinkedIn, 11 Simple Concepts To Become a Better Leader. I am certain that as social media continues to make this world more transparent, that the “command and control” aspect of leadership will fade away, and the qualities of a likeable leader will increasingly become more important.You can be a likeable leader, whether the group you’re leading is your company, your team, your department or your family. You can be a leader, even if you are simply setting a good example for the people around you. I am certain as ever, that as Mrs. Flayton told a bunch of five and six year olds, You can be a leader, no matter what. – Which of these leadership principles are most important to you? What attributes wouldyou add? What makes you a likeable leader? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!